Competence vs competency

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and
Development
Vol. 9 , No. 3, 2020, E-ISSN: 2226-6348 © 2020 HRMARS
95
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Competency Definitions, Development and Assessment: A
Brief Review
Shaw-Chiang Wong
To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v9-i3/8223 DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v9-i3/8223
Received: 11 July 2020, Revised: 29 July 2020, Accepted: 19 August 2020
Published Online: 24 September 2020
In-Text Citation: (Wong, 2020)
To Cite this Article: Wong, S.-C. (2020). Competency Definitions, Development and Assessment: A Brief Review.
International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 9(3), 95–114.
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Competency Definitions, Development and
Assessment: A Brief Review
Shaw-Chiang Wong
Faculty of Art and Design, Raffles University, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Lecturer, Faculty of Art and
Design, Raffles University, Menara Kotaraya, level 9, Unit No: 09-01, Jalan Trus, 80000 Johor
Bahru, Johor, MALAYSIA.
Email: wongshawchiang@raffles-university.edu.my
Abstract
Competencies have been used as valid predictors of superior on-the-job performance in business
organizations over the last 40 years. An abundant of empirical evidence has suggested that
competencies play important roles in human resource management (HRM) practices for different
types of organizations. However, the important roles of competency have not been fully
integrated into the business world, creating a gap between theory and practice. There seems to
also appear a number of misperceptions with regards to the use of the term ‘competency’ in the
literature. This paper intends to trace the origins of competency and document various
definitions and concepts of competency proposed by different scholars. In addition, the paper
also aims to shed light on the processes, guidelines, and techniques for developing competencies
pragmatically for a particular job or profession as well as the importance of competency-based
assessment in organizations for today’s HRM practices.
Keywords: Competency, Competency Definitions, Competencies Development, Competency-
based Assessment, Human Resource Management
Introduction: Origins of Competency
The term ‘competency’ has close relationship with a Latin word ‘competentia’ that means
“is authorized to judge” or “has the right to speak” (Caupin et al., 2006, p. 9). This term has
received a great deal of attention and interest among the psychologists in the first half of the 20th
century, and this was reflected in the abundance of empirical studies in psychology field at that
time (Shippmann et al., 2000). However, it was until 1970s when David C. McClelland, a
Psychology Professor at Harvard University and founder of McBear and Company and later called
the Hay Group (Vazirani, 2010), published a study titled ‘Testing for Competence Rather Than for
Intelligence’ that led to the wide application and investigation of the term in various human
resource management (HRM) practices and studies (Guerrero & De los Ríos, 2012; Rodriguez et
al., 2002; van der Klink & Boon, 2002; Vathanophas & Thai-ngam, 2007). In the study, McClelland

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(1973) found that students might did well in their lives and careers just like the top students
although they did poor in universities. He subsequently argued that traditional intelligence or
aptitude tests and school grades are less accurate in predicting either the job performance in the
workplace or other important life outcomes. Instead, the underlying personal traits and enduring
qualitative behaviours, or he called as ‘competencies’, could be used more effectively for the
measurement and validation of the job performance of individuals and their successes in lives. In
specific, McClelland (1973) proposed that it is desirable to measure not only the traditional
cognitive skills and knowledge (e.g., reading, writing, and calculating skills), but also the
personality variables “that are more generally useful in clusters of life outcomes” (p. 9) while
determining the performance levels of individuals in the workplace. These variables include
leadership, interpersonal skills, communication skills, ego development, patience, goal-setting
ability, and so forth.
McClelland’s (1973) idea on competencies has brought a substantive impact on HRM
practices because it opened a fresh new perspective and initiated a movement for the
investigation of more valid and reliable tools to predict the job performance of individuals in the
workplace. Leading business organizations started using competencies for recruiting, selecting,
developing, and managing the superior performers. In 1982, Boyatzis extended McClelland’s
(1973) idea and developed ‘Job Competence Assessment (JCA) Technique’ to identify the
attributes that distinguish top performers from average performers in managerial context in the
United States (Vathanophas & Thai-ngam, 2007; Omran & Suleiman, 2017). Since then, the idea
of competency began to spread worldwide (Boyatzis, 1982; Simpson, 2002).
However, the important roles of competency have not been fully integrated into the
business world, creating a gap between theory and practice (De Vos et al., 2015). There seems to
also appear a number of misperceptions about the use of the term ‘competency’ in the literature
(van der Klink & Boon, 2003). The subsequent sections of this paper aim to explore the various
definitions and concepts of competency proposed by different scholars as well as to discuss the
processes, guidelines, and techniques that can be used for developing competencies for a
particular job or profession through literature review. The importance of competency-based
assessment in organizations for today’s HRM practices is also included.
The Misperceptions: Competency and Competence?
There have been many studies on competency development and assessment that focus
on different fields and professions in various countries (e.g., Chung & Wu, 2011; Kang et al., 2015;
Omran & Suleiman, 2017). However, the term ‘competency’ is a ‘fuzzy’ concept that can generate
many confusions (Van der Klink & Boon, 2003; Le Deist & Winterton, 2005). This is especially the
case when the term ‘competence’ (instead of ‘competency’) was used in some of the studies, but
lack of clear explanation or elaboration about the rationale behind. Consequently, it gives a
general sense that these two terms can be used interchangeably and that there is no distinction
between them (Moore et al., 2002; Vazirani, 2010).
A review of literature suggested that ‘competency’ and ‘competence’ are two distinct
‘approaches’ to studies on HRM field. The first one is person-oriented behavioural approach. This
approach commonly uses the term ‘competencies’ to refer to the behaviours or personal
attributes supporting an area of work and is particularly influential in the United States. The

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second one is task-oriented functional approach. This approach, on the other hand, uses the term
‘competence’ more frequently for describing an area of work tasks or job outputs and is
dominant in the United Kingdom (Moore et al., 2002; Vazirani, 2010; Woodruffe, 1991). Boak
(1991) argued that both ‘competency’ and ‘competence’ complement each other. Burgoyne
(1988) described ‘being competent’ as achieving the job demands or roles while ‘having
competencies’ as demonstrating the essential behaviours for effective work performance.
Table 1 The comparison between ‘competency’ and ‘competence’
Competence Competency
Focus on the results Focus on a person’s behaviours
Describe the features of the area of work
tasks or job outputs
Describe the attributes of the person
Constitute of the various skills and
knowledge needed for performing the job
Constitute of the underlying attributes of a
person for superior work performance
Not transferable as each skill and
knowledge is more specific to perform the
job
Transferable from one person to another
Assessed by performance on the job Assessed in terms of behaviours and
attitude
Task-oriented People-oriented
SOURCE: YUVARAJ, R. (2011). COMPETENCY MAPPING – A DRIVE FOR INDIAN INDUSTRIES.
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 2(8), 1-7.
As shown in Table 1, there are a few lines of distinction between ‘competency’ and
‘competence’. However, people tend to use these terms interchangeably to fit their own research
context and convenience (Vazirani, 2010). Zemke (1982) suggested that there was no single
precise agreement about what is a competency and what is not, and that the term ‘competency’,
‘competence’, and other related ones “are Humpty Dumpty words meaning only what the definer
wants them to mean. The problem comes not from malice, stupidity or marketing avarice, but
instead from some basic procedural and philosophical differences among those racing to define
and develop the concept and to set the model for the way the rest of us will use competencies
in our day-to-day training efforts” (p. 28).
Definitions of Competency
Many scholars have offered their own understanding and definitions of ‘competency’ or
‘competencies’ based on the specific context in which the term is used. Table 2 gives a summary
on a few definitions and concepts of competency proposed by different scholars in the literature
over the past decades.

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Table 2 A glimpse of the competency definitions by various authors
Authors Year Meaning and Definition
McClelland 1973 Competencies as the key components of performance
related to “clusters of life outcomes” (p. 15). They can
be interpreted as broad as any kind of psychological or
behavioural characteristics related to success in a
person’s life.
Boyatzis 1982, 2008 Competencies are underlying characteristics that are
causally related with the job performance of
individuals. They can be trained during adulthood.
Spencer & Spencer 1993 Competencies are “motives, traits, self-concepts,
attitudes or values, content knowledge, or cognitive or
behavioural skills – any individual characteristic that
can be measured or counted reliably and that can be
shown to differentiate significantly between superior
and average performers, or between effective and
ineffective performers” (p. 4).
Page & Wilson 1994 Competencies can be defined as the skills, abilities,
and personal characteristics needed by an ‘successful’
or ‘superior’ manager. However, this definition
emphasizes on both the explicit (e.g., knowledge and
skills) and implicit (e.g., personal attributes) detectible
and testable competencies.
Parry 1996 Competencies are a set of interrelated knowledge,
skills and attitudes that represents a key component
of a person’s job role and responsibility, that
associates with performance in a job, that can be
measured against well-established standards, and that
can be reinforced through training and development.
Chung & Lo 2007 Competencies are skills, knowledge, and capabilities
that individuals should have possessed when
completing assigned tasks or achieving the goals.
Draganidis &
Mentzas
2006 Competencies are those direct and indirect skills and
behaviours that allow individuals to perform given
tasks or assigned roles effectively.
Athey & Orth 1999 Competencies refer to “…a set of observable

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performance dimensions, including individual
knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as
collective team, process, and organizational
capabilities, that are linked to high performance, and
provide the organization with sustainable competitive
advantage” (p. 216).
Obviously, based on Table 2, there is little consensus towards a universal definition of the
term ‘competency’ (Hoffman, 1999; Strebler et al., 1997), and it is still subject to debate
(Shippmann et al., 2000). Many stated that the meaning and definition of this term is in a state
of constant flux because it differs according to the context in which it is used (e.g., Campion et
al., 2011; Horng & Lu, 2006; Millar et al., 2008; Kay & Rssette, 2000; Tas et al., 1996).
Nevertheless, competencies can be ‘generally’ described as a set of observable and measurable
‘attributes’ or ‘success factors’ required for individuals for effective work performance. As
depicted in Figure 1, these attributes or factors may include: (1.) knowledge, (2.) skills, (3.) self-
concept and values, (4.) personal traits, and (5.) motives (Campion et al., 2011; Spencer &
Spencer, 1993). They can be generalized across a wide range of work-related settings (Boyatzis,
1982; Moore et al., 2002) and endure for some time (Guion, 1991; McClelland, 1973).
Figure 1. The general concept of competency. Adapted from: Chouhan, V. S., & Srivastava, S.
(2014). Understanding competencies and competency modelling -- A literature survey. IOSR
Journal of Business and Management, 16(1), 14-22.
On the other hand, some scholars classified competency based on specific dimensions or
components according to their own theory and purpose of the study. Table 3 shows some of the
classification patterns.

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Table 3 Competency dimensions or components proposed by different scholars
Authors Year Dimensions or Components
Katz & Kahn 1966 Technical and functional competencies; managerial
competencies; human competencies; and conceptual
competencies
Carroll & McCrackin 1997 Core competencies; leadership / managerial
competencies; and functional competencies
Boyatzis 2008 Cognitive competencies; emotional intelligence
competencies; and social intelligence competencies
Prahalad & Hamel 1990 Organization-based competencies; individual-based
competencies; technical competencies; and
behavioural competencies
Ellström 1997 Perceptual motor skills; cognitive factors; affective
factors; personality traits; and social skills
Kuijpers 2003 Functional competencies; learning competencies; and
career competencies
Cheetam & Chivers 1996, 1998 Cognitive competencies; functional competencies;
personal competencies; ethical / values competencies;
and meta-competencies
Le Deist &
Winterton
2005 Meta-competence; social competence; functional
competence; and personal competence
One can develop or identify specific skills, abilities, behaviours, and knowledge needed
for effective performance in a specific profession, work area or job position based on each of
these competency classifications.
Competency Development: Processes, Guidelines, and Techniques
Competency development is an integral part of competency management (Campion et
al., 2011; De Vos et al., 2015). Heinsman et al. (2006) defined competency management as an
effective means that is commonly applied in organizations for selecting, classifying, and assessing
individuals, managing their careers, developing them, and appraising their performance. Ellström
and Kock (2008) stated that to develop competencies for specific work area or job position in an
organization may bring many advantages for HRM practices in recruitment, promotion (e.g.,
career planning), and talents mobility (internal and / or external); education or training of talents,
for instance by means of internal or external programs; and planned changes of tasks or work

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organization through different types of measures (e.g., job development, job rotation, team
organization) with the objective of furthering informal learning in work.
Through using a ground-theory approach, De Vos et al. (2015) built an integrative model
to show the different steps of competency development in organizations. As shown in Figure 2,
the model illustrate how competency development is associated with organizational and social-
economic context and other HRM practices. In the model, competency development is an
integral part of competency management which consists of several steps. Personal development
plan (PDP) is considered as a key element in the model because it establishes the groundwork of
the overall competency development process. To develop the competencies, it is necessary to
go through the process of training, on-the-job learning, and career management. The
employability of the individuals will increase as a result. It is important to note that as the
organizational and socio-economic context continue to change, there is a continuous need to
conduct competency assessment to identify or determine the new competencies. In other words,
“the process of competency development is a never-ending story” (De Vos et al., 2015, p. 10).
Figure 2. Integrative model of competency development developed by Vos et al. (2015). Source:
De Vos, A., De Hauw, S., & Willemse, I. (2011). Competency development in organizations:
Building an integrative model through a qualitative study. Vlerick Leuven Gent Management
School.

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Parry (1996) proposed 12 pragmatic guidelines that can guide the process of competency
development for superior job performance (Figure 3).
Campion et al. (2011) also suggested several ‘good practices’ to adhere to while
developing job competencies. These practices include analyzing the work environment
thoroughly; linking competencies to business organization’s mission and vision, goals, and values;
investigating the job requirements in the future; and obtaining the feedback from different
stakeholders. In addition, they highlighted that rigorous job analysis techniques must be
employed to identify the most relevant competencies. Job analysis refers to a set of systematic
steps designed to develop competencies that differentiate top performers from average
performers (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). Proactive job analysis is always associated with superior
organizational performance (Siddique, 2004). The recommended job analysis techniques include:
…the use of multiple data collection methods such as observations, SME [subject matter
expert] interviews, and structured brainstorming methods in focus groups to identify
potential competency information; the use of clear construct definitions in the
competencies and linkages to theory and literature; the use of survey methodology to
empirically identify the critical competencies and to differentiate the job grades where
specific competencies emerge as most important; the use of sampling techniques; the
use of appropriate statistical analyses; the assessment of reliability and other
psychometric quality checks; the validation of models against important organizational
criteria…; and the validation of models across sources of information or job groups
(Campion et al., 2011, pp. 234 - 235).

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Figure 3. The guidelines to help the development of competencies for a job or profession.
Adapted from: Parry, S. B. (1996). The quest for competencies. Training, 33(7), 48–54.
Similarly, Chung and Wu (2011) noted that in general there are six techniques for
competencies identification and development, including the interviews, Delphi technique or
expert panels, surveys, competency model database, job function or task analysis, and direct
observation. The following section briefly introduces some of the classic and well-known
techniques for competency development from the literature review.
The Critical Incident Technique
The ‘critical incident technique’ was pioneered by Flanagan (1954) in 1940s. According to
Flanagan (1954), “The critical incident technique consists of a set of procedures for collecting
direct observations of human behavior in such a way as to facilitate their potential usefulness in
solving practical problems and developing broad psychological principles” (p. 327). In specific, the
technique consists of five steps:

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1. Determine the goals of the work area.
2. Develop plans and guidelines for the collection of factual incidents about the work area.
3. Collect the data.
4. Analyze the data.
5. Interpret and report the requirements of the work area.
The uniqueness of this technique is to acquire a documentation of specific behaviours
through direct observation that can contribute significantly to the work area instead of merely
collecting views, ideas, and estimations. Critical incident technique was found to be applied in
measures of typical performance (criteria), measures of proficiency (standard samples), training,
selection and classification, job design and purification, operating procedures, equipment design,
motivation and leadership (attitudes), counseling and psychotherapy (Flanagan, 1954).
The Behavioural Interview Technique (BEI)
The BEI was a technique developed by McClelland (1998), which focuses on identifying
the “characteristics of people who did a job well” (p. 5). Instead of believing on what people ‘say’
or ‘think’ about their skills or knowledge, this technique aims to find out what they actually ‘do’
at workplace (McClelland, 1998). Generally, BEI requires the interviewees or the jobholders to
describe specific ‘incidents’ that can lead to effective or ineffective performance in a specific job
position or role in an organization (Vathanophas & Thai-ngam, 2007). The outcome of the
interviews is a comprehensive narration and documentation of ‘critical incidents’, including the
behaviours, thoughts, and feelings of the interviewees or the jobholders (McClelland, 1998).
These ‘incidents’, or so-called interview transcripts or narrative data, will be coded systematically
to form different competencies. The coded competencies can then be grouped to form new
competency themes for various HRM purposes (Spencer & Spencer, 1993).
Uddin et al. (2012) suggested that ‘STAR’ technique can be used to prepare the potential
questions to guide the interview process. The interviewees may provide more specific answers
based on their past experiences based on the following questions: what was the situation in
which the interviewees were involved?; what were the tasks they required to complete?; what
action(s) did they take?; and what were the results?
The Delphi Technique
Delphi technique has been used in many studies of various fields (e.g., Arbabisarjou et al.,
2016; Dolan & Lauer, 2001; Janke et al., 2016) to develop required competencies for a specific
profession or job. In these studies, Delphi technique is used “to elicit, distill, and determine the
opinions of a panel of experts from a given field, seek consensus among the experts, and make
predictions or decisions using the expert opinions of the panelists involved in the study” (Nworie,
2011, pp. 1-2). Typically, a Delphi process consists of seven steps:
1. Devise and distribute first-round questionnaire to recruited experts.
2. Obtain first-round responses from the experts.
3. Devise and distribute second-round questionnaire to experts based on analysis of first-
round responses.

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4. Obtain second-round responses from the experts.
5. Devise and distribute third-round questionnaire to experts based on analysis of second-
round responses.
6. Conclude if no new ideas are generated.
7. Resolve based on the results from third-round questionnaire (Dunham, 1998, pp. 1-2).
Noticeably, a series of questionnaires are used in a Delphi process. First-round
questionnaire usually requires the expert panels to answer some broad and open-ended
questions to obtain initial inputs from them and build the foundation for second-round. Each
following round will then be developed based on previous round’s results (Delbecq et al., 1975;
Hasson et al., 2000; Keeney et al., 2001). The Delphi process can be concluded if key ideas are
established (Hsu & Sandford, 2007; Okoli & Pawlowski, 2004). There is no restriction on the
number of rounds should be conducted (Wang, 2006), but Delbecq et al. (1975) recommended
that three rounds are typically enough to reach a consensus among the experts.
The Job Competence Assessment Technique (JCA)
The JCA was a five-step competency development technique developed by Boyatzis
(1982). This technique was used by Boyatzis (1982) in analyzing the data of 2,000 samples who
worked in 41 management jobs from 12 organizations. Table 4 summarize the steps of JCA used
by Boyatzis (1982) in his study and the related activities.
Table 4 The five-step JCA employed in Boyatzis’ (1982) study
No Step Actions Outcomes
1 Identify criterion
measure
• Select a suitable measure of
work performance
• Collect data on managers
Job performance data on
Managers
2 Analyze job
element
• Create list of attributes
perceived to contribute to
effective work performance
• Obtain item rating by
managers
• Compute weighted list of
attributes
• Analyze categories of
attributes
• A weighted list of
attributes perceived by
managers that relate to
effective work
performance
• A list of the categories in
which these attributes
can be grouped
3 Conduct BEIs • Conduct BEIs
• Code interviews for
attributes or develop the
code and then code the
interviews
• A list of attributes
hypothesized to
differentiate from
effective to less effective
work performance

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• Associate the coding with
data obtained from work
performance
• A list of validated
attributes or
competencies
4 Select tests and
measures
• Assess competencies
identified in prior two steps
as relevant to work
performance using suitable
tests and measures
• Perform tests and measures
and core them
• Relate scores to job
performance data
A list of validated
attributes, or competencies,
as assessed by these tests
and measures
5 Develop and
validate the
competency
model
• Integrate results from prior
three steps
• Determine and document
causal relationships among
the competencies and job
performance from statistical
and theoretical perspectives
A final validated competency
model
Adapted from Boyatzis, R. E. (1982). The competent manager: A mode for effective performance.
New York: Wiley.
The Classic Competency Study Approach
In an attempt to conclude studies on competency modeling in the past 20 years, Spencer
and Spencer (1993) evaluated findings from 286 studies of organizations from different industries
(e.g., military, health care, education, etc.) and recommended three alternative techniques that
can be used in future studies on competency development: (1.) the classic study design using
criterion samples; (2.) a short study design using expert panels; and (3.) studies of single
incumbent and future jobs where there are not enough jobholders to offer samples of superior
and average performance (Spencer & Spencer, 1993, p. 93). As shown in Figure 4, they developed
six steps to conduct a classic competency study.

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Figure 4 Classic competency study design. Adapted from Spencer, L. M., & Spencer, S. M. (1993).
Competence at work: Models for superior performance. New York: Wiley.
This body of literature, in short, implies that there are many techniques for competency
development. The purpose of the study, budget and time play decisive role in determining which
technique to be used (Chung & Wu, 2011).
The Importance of Competency-based Assessment in HRM
Competency-based assessment has gained increasing attention in business organizations
and professions for it helps to determine if individuals have successfully performed or
demonstrated the required skills, knowledge, behaviours, and abilities in the workplace. As
Gonczi et al. (1993) defined, competency-based assessment refers to:
…assessment of a person’s competence [competency] against prescribed standards of
performance. Thus, if a profession has established a set of, say, entry level competency

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standards, then these detail the standards of performance required of all new entrants
to that profession. Competency-based assessment is the process of determining
whether a candidate meets the prescribed standards of performance, i.e. whether they
demonstrate professional competence [competency]… (p. 23)
Yahya (2005) also described competency-based assessment as a process of collecting
evidence and making judgment to determine individuals’ competency levels while performing
assigned work tasks based on prescribed standards or criterion. As compared to other
performance appraisal methods, competency-based assessment is perceived to have higher
levels of fairness because it focuses on the individuals’ behaviours and actual job outputs instead
of other social and cultural factors (Van der Merwe & Potgieter, 2002).
Competency-based assessment can contribute substantially to HRM practices in any
business organizations. It plays an important role in recruiting, selecting, and developing talented
individuals (Van der Merwe, 2002). During the assessment process, the assessors make judgments
about whether individuals fulfill the pre-determined competency standards based on their actual
performance on assigned job roles (Gonczi, 1994). However, it is challenging to carry out
successful competency-based assessment (Suhairom et al., 2014). First, as Gonczi et al. (1993)
highlighted, competency can hardly be observed directly. Second, the job scope and activities of
certain business organizations or professions are highly complex and diversified. These have
created difficulty in making sound judgments. Therefore, it is necessary to use a few assessment
methods to measure the competency levels of individuals accurately and effectively in performing
specific tasks and roles (Baartman et al., 2006). Besides, the quality and quantity of the evidence
of performance must be adequately collected for making sound judgments (Gonczi, 1994).
Figure 5. From competency development to competency assessment: a continuous loop.
Adapted from: De Vos, A., De Hauw, S., & Willemse, I. (2015). Competency development in
organizations: Building an integrative model through a qualitative study. Vlerick Leuven Gent
Management School.
As noted previously, the process of competency assessment and competency
development is an on-going process (Figure 5). The developed competency information must be
organized and presented in an appropriate and clear manner to serve for competency assessment
purposes. Usually, a competency consists of three parts: (1.) a description of the competency title;

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(2.) a description of the observable behaviours that can be used to indicate the proficiency in the
competency; and (3.) a detailed description of the levels of proficiency on the competency
(Campion et al., 2011; Parry, 1996). Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1986) proposed five competency levels:
(1.) novice; (2) advanced beginner; (3.) competent; (4.) proficient; and (5.) expert. From the
novice that is focused on rules and limited or inflexible in their bahaviours to the individual who
is willing to break the rules to provide creative and innovative solutions to business problems
(Ennis, 2008). Table 5 shows an example of the competency assessment rubric for junior graphic
designer.
Table 5: An example of competency assessment rubric
Competency
title
: Technical Design Skills
Description : Skills required by graphic designers in day to day practice to complete various
types of design tasks. There are three performance indicators for technical
design skills.
Novice
(Level 1)
Advanced
Beginner
(Level 2)
Competent
(Level 3)
Proficient
(Level 4)
Expert
(Level 5)
Optimize elements and
principles of design for
effective visual
communication.
Utilize appropriate graphic
tools and techniques to
manipulate visuals for desired
outcomes.
Apply consistent art direction
across a wide range of graphic
media.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The present paper offers an overview on the various definitions and concepts of
competency through a comprehensive review of the literature. For the understanding of
competency has direct impact on competency development and assessment (Chouhan &
Srivastava, 2014; Ellström & Kock, 2008), it is hoped that this paper has provided sufficient and
useful insights for practitioners and researchers while investigating the relevant issues.
Organizations are built around ‘people’, and human capital is one of the most important assets
to any business organization (Vathanophas & Thai-ngam, 2007). Previous studies (e.g., Boyatzis,
1982; Spencer & Spencer, 1993) suggested that competencies have causal relationship with
occupational performance. On the other hand, HRM is a process to bring people and
organizations closer together so that each other can achieve their own goals successfully
(Yuvaraj, 2011).

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In relation to the above, it is highly recommended that competency development and
assessment should be used as viable tools to manage and develop the human resources to
establish and maintain organizational competitiveness and performance in today’s work
environment. Due to the ever-changing work environment and contexts, it should be a never-
ending process to develop and assess the required competencies for specific job, work area or
position in an organization to manage the performance of individuals (Boyatzis, 1982; De Vos et
al., 2015). By using the developed competencies as guidelines or standards, organizations may
invest more strategically in training and development to enhance individuals’ capabilities.
Individuals may also be more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and therefore better
manage their current career pathway or examine new career opportunities.
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